Woodland Acres Elementary School

Woodland Acres Elementary School in Jacksonville, FL, is a public school serving 495 students in grades PK through 5 within the Duval school district, where 65% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

The most critical issue at Woodland Acres is its extreme chronic absenteeism rate of 63.5%, which is the highest among all nearby schools and has remained above 60% for four years. This directly impacts academic performance, as the school ranks in the bottom 10% of Florida elementary schools. For example, only 29% of 3rd graders are proficient in English Language Arts, compared to 51% in the district and 60% statewide. While nearby Duval Charter Scholars Academy serves a similar high-poverty population, its absenteeism rate is lower at 53.1%, suggesting that Woodland Acres' attendance challenges may be tied to specific school-level factors rather than neighborhood poverty alone.

Despite these struggles, there are small signs of improvement. In the 2025-2026 school year, 4th-grade math proficiency jumped to 50% (from 13% the prior year), and 5th-grade science proficiency rose to 52% (from 25% in 2023-2024). However, the school faces significant resource challenges, including a high student-to-teacher ratio of 19.8:1 and low per-pupil spending of $10,557—the second-lowest among 10 nearby schools. For comparison, Holiday Hill Elementary, just 1.61 miles away, has a lower poverty rate, spends $14,012 per student, and has a 13.1:1 ratio, resulting in a much higher state ranking. Any meaningful turnaround at Woodland Acres must prioritize addressing chronic absenteeism as the foundational step.